Kadena couple Air Force fit

  • Published
  • By Scott D. Hallford
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR FORCE BASE, Japan --  They were both instructor pilots. She was primarily a runner. He pushed weights. They became workout partners. She pushed some weights. He ran some. Then they became life partners. 

Capt. Hollie Diesselhorst, 909th Aerial Refueling Squadron, and Capt. Tom Hunt, 67th Fighter Squadron, have a dedication to each other, not only in their marriage, but to a healthy lifestyle through a rigorous workout program that also reflects a dedication to Air Force fitness. 

Both were instructor pilots with the 37th Fighter Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., and saw each other occasionally at the gym. 

"I used to go to the gym randomly, maybe three times a week," said Captain Diesselhorst. "I was primarily a runner. I did some weights, but wasn't very good at it. One day I asked him to help me lift and we became workout partners." 

Captain Hunt worked out almost every day, so when they became partners, Captain Diesselhorst had to adjust some. 

"For the first month I was tired," she said. "I didn't want to go. Now if I don't go five days a week I feel crappy." 

As a lineman for the Air Force Academy Falcons, Captain Hunt had been working out for a while but still needed weight. Deciding on a flying career meant he needed to lose some of his 285 pounds after football. 

"I had to be heavy as a lineman," he said. "But weight is hard on the body and to be a pilot, and for quality of life, I had to lose some." 

Before leaving the academy, he lost around 80 pounds. 

"People would ask what diet I was on. What is the trick?" said Captain Hunt. "There is none. It's a lifestyle change. It's a matter of nothing more than exercising, minimizing fat intake and increasing protein." 

When they met and started working out, it was the beginning of something good. Captain Hunt had workout partners before but not a female. 

"She's dedicated. It's not in her personality to quit," he said. "We push ourselves and each other and play off each other's strengths. She ran. I never ran unless something big and hairy with fangs was chasing me." 

He runs a little now, but prefers biking, and she uses weights. 

"The perfect workout partner has the same goals," said Captain Diesselhorst. "Not necessarily to push the same weight, but same workout goals. The same dedication motivates each other." 

Married in February 2006 and arriving at Kadena last December, the couple remains dedicated even with long work hours. They average 10-12 hours a day on the job and then go to the gym. 

"Our average workout is an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long and we concentrate on a different muscle group each day," said Captain Hunt. "Many people will work on upper body strength one day and then lower body strength the next time at the gym." 

The exercises they do on muscle groups are exactly the same. And after roughly an hour in the gym and now a 13-14-hour day, they do some cardiovascular work. He may bike while she has a three- or four-mile run. 

"We may not feel like it and not work out one day," said Captain Diesselhorst. "But then we'll make up for it on the weekend." 

They emphasize eating properly goes hand-in-hand with exercise for total fitness.
"If you don't eat right, the gym doesn't really do you any good," said Captain Hunt. "I eat a lot of protein, 200 grams per day; plenty of good carbs, fiber and a lot of 'engineered' foods like protein bars." 

They do not consume sugar and try to never eat fast food. 

"I get a craving for french fries, but have had them only once since being here," said Captain Diesselhorst. "We enjoy cooking and know what is going in what we make. It's easy to eat healthy here but you can either eat good or bad wherever you are. We're kind of different in what we eat, though. I'm not an engineered food person. I eat a lot of proteins, but a lot more fruits and vegetables." 

The captains stress they are not on diets. They just practice an overall healthy lifestyle which also equates into combat readiness and both their physical training test scores in the 90s. 

"The time devoted to physical health, eating properly and dedication to a workout regimen, will be paid back tenfold by the way you feel, sleep and in your pride," said Captain Hunt. "You look good and look good in uniform. It's about quality of life. You're only live for 'X' amount of time and (living healthy) will improve every other aspect of your life."